Thoughts of Ramen over Failure
by Kratos Wilder
Summary: He was scared. He didn't want the surgery to fail, but that was all he could think about. But then came his friends, his team, his closest companions, and they left him thinking not of failure, but of one certain event they shared...


It is a happy day! For it is my hero's birthday!! For those who didn't know! And, so I wrote this Lee in mind, at least, that's how it started. Now, if some details are wrong, I apologize, because I just watched this section of episodes, too. And as a WARNING: I do think Neji is out of character here, even though I told myself I wouldn't do it, but I did. So anyways, this is something I am proud of, just because it's complete! Haha! I completed a story! There is a such thing as YOUTH!

Oh yes, this is set before Lee's surgery, like, right before it. Just in case you were wondering a head of time. I'm sure you would have been able to pick that out in the first few paragraphs...

One more thing, this is **NOT** a LeexTenten thing. NO!! So don't think that later on. It cannot be. Neji is for Tenten.

Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEE!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, the Sasuke retrieval (sp?) wouldn't have been necessary. Tsunade would have let him go, hoping he would die!**

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**Thoughts of Ramen over Failure**

It was a beautiful day, one where you could find happiness outside of the walls of the home. The sun was out, no cloud in sight. Children were playing happily on the streets, filling the village with laughter. It was a day that no one wanted to be stuck inside, for days like these did not come often enough. One had to enjoy the blessing of a nice day when they came.

However, one sat in a hospital room, looking outside his window beside his bed. He watched as the children played and smiled at their energy and happiness. How he wished he could be like them, but for now, they were helping him get his mind off his early future. He wasn't supposed to be scared, and yet, his heart was pounding in his chest. He wasn't supposed to doubt his choice, but thoughts of failure ran though his mind, adding more power to his heartbeat. Yes, Gai Sensei, his idol, his best friend, his protector, had convinced him to go through with the surgery, despite possible death, but he was beginning to wonder how convinced he really was.

"You need to calm down." Lee looked away from the window and glanced down at his hands placed on his knees. He knew Neji was right, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy. He looked over at his stoic friend, trying to prevent fear from entering his voice as he spoke.

"I know. I wish Tsunade would hurry up with the preparations. This waiting is killing me!" he added with a tint of humor, trying to cover up his anxiety that he was sure Neji had picked up. The Hyuuga just sat back in his chair without much change. At least Tenten cracked a smile.

"If you don't want to die, she must get everything ready."

"Neji!" Tenten shouted, glaring at the boy sitting next to her. "Lee is _not_ going to die!"

Lee looked away and smiled slightly. She had no idea how the impact of her words and boldness affected him. He needed that, to know someone had hope for him since he was losing his.

Then, there was silence, a stillness where the air was ten times heavier and the three of them were suffocating on unsaid words. He wanted someone to say something, _anything_, to get his mind off the surgery…off his possible death.

"You'll be okay, Lee. You're strong. You'll get out of this just fine." Lee looked over at Tenten and smiled.

"Thanks, but I'm afraid that my strength won't help me this time around. This is just a lucky gamble, one which could cost me everything."

She looked like she wanted to say something in return, but she couldn't. Neji, however, let out a small laugh.

"I never thought I would hear you sound so…"

"Scared, worried, afraid that this will fail and I will die?" he whispered toward the window and frowned when the children that had been playing before had disappeared. He looked down at his shaking hands instead. "Well, I am, as much as I hate to admit. This might be the last time I see you, so I guess you deserve to know that I am terrified, to know that I won't be able to prove I can beat you after all."

Lee braved looking over into his friend's pale eyes, and Neji stared right back. "No, Lee. You will not be able to beat me, but you will always be there to try."

"Not if I die!"

"You won't." Neji looked away, realizing he had said his thoughts aloud, and he never did that. Lee looked stunned. Here was his rival for as long as he knew him, and he just told him, in his own way, that he believed in him. He could come out of this okay.

Before he could say anything in return, Neji stood up and looked away. "Naruto proved to me during our fight that fate can be changed, despite the unbelievable odds. You, Lee, will come out of this. And when you do, I will be looking forward to beating you again."

It was unheard of for Neji to speak to Lee the way he did. Tenten nearly fell out of her chair in shock. However, as Neji walked away, Lee spoke up.

"You just promise me time, Neji, and I promise I will do my best to recover when this is over." When Neji looked over his shoulder, Lee flashed him the "Good Guy" pose, causing Neji to smile slightly.

"It's a deal. I'll be waiting for you, Lee." With that said, the supposed cold-hearted Hyuuga left the room, leaving Tenten and Lee speechless behind him.

After a long pause, Tenten turned to Lee. "See, Lee?! If he believes in you, you can do anything!" she said with a smile on her face. Lee returned the gesture with a smile of his own and immediately the burden of fear and failure was lifted off his chest, replaced with hope and determination. He was finally feeling more like himself again.

"So what have you two been doing without me?" he asked, breaking the small silence between the two of them.

Tenten shrugged. "Same things we do all the time. He wants to spar, we fight, he wins. You haven't missed anything."

Lee silently laughed. "Does Gai-Sensei watch your spars?"

She laughed. "If he did, Neji wouldn't be able to concentrate with Gai shouting 'youthful' phrases. Plus, he went on a mission recently. Most Jounin are out to prevent something like the Sound's surprise attack from happening again."

"Oh…" was all Lee said, even though he knew something like that would happen. He knew Gai-Sensei wouldn't be able to see him before he went into surgery.

Seeing her friend upset, Tenten changed subjects. "Well, there was something you missed, now that I think about it."

Lee's eyes shot up to meet hers. "What?!"

She looked away, but she had a smile on her face. "It was something small, but I thought you'd like to know about it."

Now she had his full attention. He loved hearing stories, small or lengthy, he didn't mind. Especially because if it happened to her and he didn't know about it, it usually had something to do with Neji.

"Was it Neji?!" he asked when she wouldn't speak up. When she just chuckled, he sat up on his bed and looked excited.

"It wasn't that big of a deal," she added when she saw his face. He didn't change in the least bit, just continued to stare at her, hoping to get an answer out of her.

When she grew quiet, he spoke up. "Well…?"

"I shouldn't have said anything."

He would have gotten out of the bed, but he realized that wouldn't be too wise. Instead, he threw the pillow at her. "Tell me! Did he fall on his face?! Did he confess his true love for you?!"

She grabbed the pillow and slammed it on his head. "No, Lee! Don't be stupid!"

"I knew the youthful Neji had something for you! What did he do?!"

At least he was back to normal, spitting out the word 'youth' like nothing else was in his vocabulary. "First of all, it wasn't that big of a deal. Second, there's nothing there, Lee."

"Awe, that's not true, Tenten. He always talks to you and stuff. He doesn't talk like that to anyone else!"

She looked away. "We're just friends, Lee. He can talk to friends, you know."

"I hate to break up this conversation, but we're ready to begin." Lee and Tenten glanced to the door where Tsunade stood, followed by a few medic-nins. "Are you ready, Lee?"

Tenten stood up to leave Tsunade with her patient, but Lee reached out and grabbed her arm. "What did he do?! I will do two hundred push-ups if I cannot get you to tell me what he did before I go through with this."

"Oh no you will not, Lee. You will be…"

"Please!" Lee shouted, cutting off Tsunade. Tenten sighed, then turned to Lee.

"Since you seem to care so much, and because I don't want you to see you doing push-ups after your surgery…"

"Tell me!!!!!!"

She laughed. "He bought me ramen after training and before we came up to see you. Happy now?"

And happy he was. He only wished he could have seen it, Neji Hyuuga, being with Tenten, _buying her ramen_, and how happy she could have been to have finally caught his attention, even in the slightest bit. She smiled as she walked away, leaving him alone with the team of medical professionals. Had his teammates, friends, not come to see him, he would be closing his eyes and thinking he would never wake back up. But now, he would close his eyes and think about the ramen that Neji had bought for Tenten.

And she claimed there was nothing there.

-----

Neji and Tenten sat in the waiting room, waiting for news on how Lee's surgery went. Neither of them had said a word to each other. Neji sat and stared at the wall or what was on it, which wasn't much, while Tenten sat and played with her hands.

After an hour and a half of waiting, Neji glanced over at his teammate, who was still playing with her hands.

"Stop that. You remind me of Hinata."

She pulled her hands apart and put them on her knees. "Sorry. I'm just worried."

"He'll be fine." But she could tell he was even worried as well. The fact that they hadn't talked and that he found a certain spot on a wall more amusing than talking to her said enough. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back.

"You said he was strong, so why are you so worried?"

She looked away. Yeah Lee was strong, but that didn't mean she couldn't be worried about his well being. "He's like my brother, Neji. I care about what happens to him. It hasn't been the same without him."

Hearing her comment, he shot a look at her. To him, it had been much more peaceful, and the few times he saw Gai, he was a sane person to be around.

Then she let out a small laugh. "I know what you're thinking. I think his absence had been hard for you, too. You just won't admit it."

Had she been someone else, he would have punched her in the face. But he kept his cool and closed his eyes, smirking in the process. "Maybe you're right, but I do believe I could live without their 'youthful' ideals."

She looked over at him, and he could feel her gaze on him. "You'd miss it after a while."

Then it was quiet again. She went back to playing with her hands again, leaving him to think about what she said. He doubted that he would miss Lee and Gai's antics of youth, but after dealing with it for so long, it just became a part of life. Maybe she was right.

"I told you to stop that a while ago, Tenten." He opened an eye to see her looking back at him.

"I have to do something to pass the time. Unlike you, I don't find the wall amusing."

She smiled when he glared at her. "It's better than watching you sit there acting like an idiot."

"You're one to talk," she said beneath her breath, but Neji picked it up.

"Care to say that again?"

She laughed. "You heard me, Neji." He walked in front of her and put his face inches from hers.

"You called me an idiot."

"Should I have said a 'youthful' idiot?" He glared at her as she looked away, a smile of victory on her face. "Did I just offend you, Neji? I'm sorry."

He should have been angered by her words, but he found himself playing along with her. Instead of saying anything to retaliate, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds, before her hand come up and push him away from her.

"And I didn't have to say anything."

"Shut up."

"Ah, it looks like I have offended you. For a second there, I thought you wanted me to get closer."

She crossed her arms and angrily looked away. "Shut up, Neji."

"Or what? A few minutes ago, you loved the fact that you were making me angry. I think now it's my turn."

"You can't make me angry."

"That's right, after all, I bought you lunch. And didn't I hear you tell Lee that? It wasn't a big deal, was it?"

She looked like she was fighting off embarrassment. However, he could see a tint of red flash across her face. "…That's not what I meant…"

"Is that so? You and Lee looked happy, too."

She immediately shot her head up to look at him. "We're _friends_, Neji!"

"Or am I just not seeing something?" He wanted to stop, but he was having too much fun now, seeing her frustrated like this. "The way I see it, is that if it were me in that bed, you two would be off somewhere…"

"You know that's not true!"

Then, he was inches away from her face again. "Then prove it."

She froze, and had he not been Neji Hyuuga, he would have laughed. He knew he had gotten under her skin. However, she turned her back and once again folder her arms over her chest, refusing to answer.

So, he turned her around and made her look at him again. "Tell me."

"I told you, Neji, Lee is a brother, and _only_ brother."

"That better not make me your sister."

He got a laugh out of her. "Not unless you have something to tell me."

He wanted to say something, to finally get rid of the burning feeling in his heart. He took a deep breath, and when he was about to spill everything to her, another voice spoke up first.

"There you are. I have news for you."

Neji cursed Tsunade for her timing, and for capturing Tenten's attention when he had worked so hard to get it. "How is Lee? Is he okay?!"

Tsunade was still for a minute, then cracked into a smile. "He is perfectly fine. Everything went well. He should be out of recovery in an hour."

The wave of relief crashed into both Neji and Tenten and a feeling of excitement filled the room. "He did it, Neji! He made it!"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, happy to hear his teammate was okay. He was torn out of his thoughts when he felt Tenten crush him in a hug.

"He did it, Neji! Lee is okay!!"

Through her embrace, he could feel her happiness. He couldn't say anything to ruin the moment, so he continued to listen to her shout in joy for Lee's success as he slowly put his arms around her waist.

It was a just a day filled with happiness, no matter where you were.


End file.
